The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus: Book Five) (Orig Fanfic)
by vvGirlNextDoor889vv
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are back. The threat of the giants and Gaea looms over them, forcing the Seven to work harder than ever. They know they need to reach Athens, but with only two weeks left until Gaea's awakening - the end of the world - the seven demigods must survive Gaea's wrath and cooperate with the gods in order to survive, sacrificing much in their quest to save the world.


Annabeth hugged her pillow for comfort. Normally it would have been Percy, but he'd gone to his room before she had, looking sad and remorseful. She knew he'd been thinking of Bob and Damasen, and she couldn't blame him for being unhappy. So she'd watched until he'd disappeared into his room.

Annabeth had hoped her Seaweed Brain would be all right. Not that anyone would be all right after a Titan and a Giant sacrificed their lives for them, but as good and all right as anyone like Percy had the right to be. She rolled sideways and gazed at the moon and stars, wishing that their Titan friend were here. For probably the first and only time in her life, Annabeth wished she were back in Tartarus, in the company of friends. Nico di Angelo would probably look at her like she was crazy for thinking that way, but she didn't mind. She knew the kid well enough to know that he had his own reasonable reasons for thinking that way.

Then Annabeth heard the pouring of rain outside and the sound of Leo's and Piper's voices as they yelled in surprise, and the sound of heavy footsteps, probably theirs', thundering down. She smiled to her pillow, thinking of friends, and wishing she could fall asleep as easily as the rain was falling in thick sheets now.

She looked up to the ceiling, and, to her horror, saw something move, something that had something that glinted like diamonds in the dark, but then she blinked again, and the figure was gone. She sat up, blinking harder, trying to stop the inevitable flow of tears, remembering how she had once felt terrified of Damasen's presence. She gulped back a sob and gazed into the darkness. She could hear an owl hooting outside, though how an owl had made it to the middle of the ocean at night, she didn't know. A tiny, hopeful part of her supposed Athena sent the owl to guard her; to protect her, and she felt a warm feeling, possibly gratitude, spread to the very tips of her fingers and toes. She felt _loved_.

Annabeth fell asleep just as the clock outside struck midnight, just as the owl outside flew in to guard her from the horrors of Night, just as Percy too in his room fell asleep.

Annabeth woke up to bright rays of sunlight filtering through the heavy curtains that hung in her room. She got up, took some clothes, and showered, to her huge relief. She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling it, and scrubbed it until it was clean and bouncy. It felt good to have running water over her skin again, and she sighed in relief. After using up a small bar of her favorite lemon soap and probably most of the available hot water, Annabeth decided she was clean enough. She stepped out of the shower and toweled herself dry. It felt great to be clean again.

Annabeth found herself combing her hair for what seemed like the first time in weeks. Because of the weeks she spent in Tartarus, her hair had gone a sort-of dull blond color, but that had probably been because of the dirt and grime she had just washed out. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Annabeth couldn't help but stifle a gasp at her reflection.

Her face was pale, hollow, and shadowed, bags under her eyes and her lips pressed tight. She blinked again, and the image of her as Percy had seen her in the Death Mist disappeared, and though she had no idea how that had made its way to her head, she suspected Gaea, for good reason. She did look paler and thinner, however; she'd lost her tan, but at least her gray eyes were the same. Annabeth didn't always like change. Sure, there were times when she liked change, like when her stepmother stopped being such an obnoxious stepmother and when her dad's behavior towards her had improved gradually, but there were times when she didn't. Like when Thalia had been _changed_ into a pine tree. Like when Luke had _changed_ into a murderous and power-hungry guy. Like when Hera had _changed_ all of their lives when she took Percy away from Annabeth and Jason away from Reyna and Hazel, though Annabeth supposed Piper liked that situation depicting _change. _

She looked down and was instantly confused. She was sporting a shirt and an old set of jeans, which she didn't have any recollection of getting from her closet. She supposed she had been thinking too hard to notice much of her surroundings, and she shook her head and blinked twice to try to clear her head. Perhaps two weeks of Tartarus _had _taken its toll on her. A knock on the door distracted her, and she went to answer the knocker.

When she opened the door, it was to find a slightly disheveled Frank standing outside in the hall separating the boys' bedrooms from the girls'. "Piper told me to tell you that breakfast's ready," he muttered. "Leo's whipping up a banquet in celebration of the partial success of the quest and your return."

Annabeth thought about it. "Oh. Thanks for telling me."

He looked at her almost nervously. "Er – if you wanted to know, Percy's not awake yet. I knocked at his door before I knocked at yours."

"Oh," she said. "I guess we'll – " she trailed off.

"Go eat?" he finished for her. "Sure."

He walked off, leaving her alone and staring at him in confusion.

"The zombie lives," Leo announced once Annabeth walked in. "Just in time for breakfast. Although I guess it's nearer to lunch than breakfast, actually."

"Leo!" Piper scolded. "It's not funny!"

"Trying to lighten things up, Piper," he said, smiling a smile that didn't really reach his eyes. "You know it's not the end of the world yet. I guess it's better to act cool now when the world's still free of fires and storms than act cool when it's not free of them. I mean, sheesh; _you only live once. _Well," he amended, "you can get reborn three times or something in the Isles of the Blest or something."

"Leo," Piper said, "shut up!"

"Anything for you, Beauty Queen."

"Don't call me Beauty Queen!"

"Anyways," Jason interrupted, "Leo's whipped us this banquet because he says the present situation is actually worth celebrating for. And we have a lot of things we'll discuss after we're full."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Speaking of which, where is Percy?"

"Still asleep?" Leo laughed uneasily.

Annabeth turned to him. "Yeah, according to Frank. I'll wake him up." She left the room.

Once out of the dining room, she walked straight towards Percy's room. She knocked twice, and when he didn't respond, opened the door and saw him lying on his bed. "Percy," she said gently, "it's time to wake up."

His eyelids fluttered open. "Wha-wha-what's wrong?" he asked groggily.

"It's time for brunch," she said.

He yawned and covered his mouth with his hand. "I feel messed up," he admitted. "I wasn't really asleep. I heard Frank knock and you knock too but I couldn't summon the energy to get up and answer your summons."

"I know, Percy," she said gently. "I know that feeling when you just can't seem to be awake enough to answer calls or anything at all. I really do. But Piper and the others have called a meeting and all of us have to attend it, unless we're terminally ill or missing."

"I know," he said. "Let me shower first and you know, do some stuff."

Annabeth smiled. "Just in time. Did you know you smell?"

Percy came out of the bathroom looking a lot cleaner than he had in weeks. He looked at Annabeth quizzically, like he was amazed Annabeth had the patience to sit down and wait for him to be finished. She laughed. "Love conquers all," she promised. "Even ADHD."

He laughed, but abruptly stopped. "It feels wrong," he admitted. "To be laughing when Bob and Damasen are already dead. I feel like I shouldn't be laughing."

Annabeth stopped laughing too. "I know, Percy. The gods know I feel the same way too." And it was true. There was a part of her that screamed at her for laughing when a Titan and a Giant had sacrificed their lives for them, a part of her that screamed at her for being so ungrateful for their sacrifice. But she knew it was probably just Gaea messing with her and Percy. She wasn't just lying to make Percy feel better or anything, and she hated lying to Percy.

Annabeth took his hand. It was warm; those thin but strong fingers cupping hers too. "Why don't we go back to the dining room? The others will be wondering where we've been."

Percy checked the clock beside his bed. "It's like noon already," he said, smiling a little. "I guess they've started without us." He pulled Annabeth to him and they kissed.

For a moment, it was just them in the world. Then Percy's door banged open, and Hazel Levesque stood outside, her hand over her mouth. "Oh – " she murmured, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm – sorry to have disturbed you. It's just that – Leo told me to check on you guys." Being the youngest member in the group in terms of physical age and the oldest one in terms of mental age, (excluding Nico) Hazel looked both scandalized and surprised. She walked quickly away.

Percy looked over at her. "Did she just – " he trailed off, looking confused. Annabeth laughed again. "Let's just go, Seaweed Brain."

They walked towards the hall that would lead them to the dining room. "Oh," Percy said suddenly. He stopped in his tracks. "Did I forget to mention something?"

Annabeth frowned. "What?"

Percy grinned.

"Happy belated birthday, Annabeth Chase." And they kissed.

"Took you long enough," Leo remarked with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "What, were you two kissing again? You two don't look blue to me."

"Leo, stop it!" Piper said forcefully. Leo's eyes glazed over. "Anything for you, Ms. McLean." Then he blinked and stared at Piper. "Did you just charmspeak me?"

Piper was blushing, and Jason was hugging her and trying not to smile. Annabeth didn't join in the laughter that followed, led by Percy. She focused on the food on the table, and her mouth watered. "First things first," she said. "We have to eat, and then talk later."

They ate. Annabeth inhaled one plate of spaghetti after the other. Gods, she was so hungry. Beside her she saw Percy downing his glass of Diet Coke in just a few gulps. She could see Piper eating her penne pasta quicker than Annabeth had ever seen her eat. Beside Piper, Jason filled his plate with chicken and bread. Across the table, Frank was munching on some shrimp, and Hazel ate her salmon with as much gusto as Annabeth had ever seen her in. Their return, it seemed, infected everyone with happiness and laughter. It seemed as if Leo and the others were determined to spend what was possibly their last days enjoying and not worrying, or at least have half of a day spent having fun.

"The salmon's really delicious, Leo," Hazel said. "Where did you learn to cook that well?"

Leo smirked over his plate full of chicken, shrimp, _and _salmon. "I didn't. I borrowed Piper's cornucopia, and the next thing I knew, this big mother food just appeared."

"What were you thinking of when it appeared?" asked Piper. "You have to think of good things or people to make good stuff appear."

Annabeth noticed Leo blushing slightly, and decided to help him out. "Hey guys," she said, swallowing the remaining spaghetti in her mouth. "What's wrong? Why did we have this 'brunch' meeting?"

She noticed Leo swallowing hard and looking grateful. Jason got out a physical map of Greece and took the lead. "We thought it'd be better to gorge ourselves for the upcoming war, to provide us with nourishment and everything, and also result in more ideas cropping up when we're full, energetic and hyperactive. We've been moving out of Epirus for a while, and Leo's suggested a change in traveling plans. He says that we should cross the Ionian Sea, then head off to the Gulf of Corinth, getting to Athens in the shortest time possible. That itself is clearly the shortest and easiest way to Athens, assuming nothing attacks us. The only problem is," he finished, "there isn't any body of water that we can see on this map, and we can't just exactly surf the Internet and attract more monsters to the _Argo II_, so now we have a problem. Because there isn't any body of water we can see after the Gulf of Corinth to cross into Athens."

"Why don't we just fly?" It was Hazel.

Annabeth found herself answering Hazel's question. "Lend me that map, will you?" she asked Jason, who looked startled but gave it to her willingly. "We can't, because Boreas is backing up Gaea this time, and technically, though we may be traveling southeast of Greece, we are still in his territory – which is to say, the north. And let's face it; Zephyros might as well be in Gaea's pocket by now, and that isn't doing us any good, seeing as we're also in the west hemisphere of the world. So he might send us some _anemoi thuellai_ that might hinder us badly. And Boreas could send his sons and daughter back here and combined with the _anemoi thuellai_, they'd be hard to beat, especially as only one son of Jupiter is here to control the storm spirits and only one son of Hephaestus here who can counterattack the snow goddess Khione's snow attacks. So I suggest that we should pass by the Ionian Islands," she pointed out the islands in the map, "then to the Mediterranean, sailing to the east and passing by Crete and the Cyclades, then finally heading northwest and arriving in Athens. That would take around two to three days, assuming no monster or anything attacks us or something."

Annabeth met their gazes. _There always is something attacking this ship_, their faces told her. A long silence ensued, followed by nervous noises from Leo and a frown from Percy.

Finally Frank broke the silence. "Uh – why don't we hope for the best and follow Annabeth's plan?"

"When we were directing ourselves towards Epirus, we thought the journey would be short, two or three days at most. It wasn't like that. It took us seventeen days to complete, and there's only a matter of time before…" Jason didn't need to finish the sentence. _Before SHE wakes up_, his eyes said.

"So, it's up to an election, then," Piper said briskly. Annabeth noticed her friend looking more worried than usual. "Who votes for Leo's plan?"

To everyone else's surprise, Frank and Hazel raised their hands. "What?" they asked, then Frank shrugged, and Hazel was silent.

Piper, Annabeth noticed, looked unnerved. "Who votes for Annabeth's plan?" She noticed Percy, Jason, Piper, and Leo all raising their hands up, but she didn't. She didn't have complete faith in _her_ plan.

Jason looked at Annabeth and frowned a little. "What's wrong, Annabeth?" he asked. "Why didn't you cast your vote?"

"I just don't know!" she burst out. "I can see flaws in both Leo's plan and mine! And I can't stand it if my plan gets chosen and we fail and I survive to see the end of the world knowing it was my fault; _if only Leo's plan had been chosen_!"

Finally Percy took her hand. "Well, your plan's the best thing there is for us, you know," he said gently, looking into her eyes. She stared at him in wonder. How could he think that way?

"Yeah," Leo said, seriousness in his tone. "Even I don't think my plan will work." Then he plastered a smile that seemed genuine on his face and said nothing else.

"You sure?" she asked them.

"Sure, I'm sure," Percy said. "Anyone who can make their way to the _Athena Parthenos _and

Piper raised her voice. "All right, then, Leo, set sail for Athens, across the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean, sailing east while passing by Crete and the Cyclades and heading northwest to Athens. You think you can get us there in time?" she asked almost jokingly.

"Sure." Leo grinned. "As long as Hazel here doesn't mind, we'll go full speed. Just give me some time to eat more."

Annabeth leaned against the railing, letting her hair fall over her face and getting blown by the wind again. Out here, the sea looked majestic and the air was so clean. She breathed in the cool air and smiled a little, thinking about Percy. The guy could be so obtuse sometimes, but he was really sweet.

"Enjoying the view?" It was Percy.

Annabeth turned to him just as the ship rocked suddenly, making her lose her balance. She fell – and found herself in Percy's arms. "I told you long ago to be careful," he said. "Remember the drakon Clarisse killed?"

"Of course," she said softly, standing up and turning her back towards him. "How could I forget the thing that brought about Silena's death?"

"Yeah, well – " he muttered, "the thing is, I've been thinking a lot of our fight against the thing. How we couldn't have defeated it without Clarisse's arrival. What if the same thing happens in Athens, but this time it's the giants that need killing? What if, instead of showing up at the last minute, the gods don't help us?"

She found herself having to look at the horizon for a moment before answering his question. "The truth is, Percy – I don't know a lot of things about this quest. I don't know if we can manage to destroy the giants with only seven of us and almost twice as much in their side. I don't even know if the gods would be relieved of their schizophrenia just in time to help us, or that they'd be willing to, actually. But I guess the only thing left to us is to hope for the impossible things."

"Yeah," he muttered, embracing Annabeth from behind, "yeah, I guess you're right."

They were still embracing each other when it happened.

A wave suddenly snatched Annabeth from Percy and sent her screaming at the top of her lungs to the sea below. She hit the water with a loud SPLASH! and the current dragged her away from the ship. She tried to swim back to the ship, but waves crashed down on her and she choked up water as she resurfaced.

Another loud SPLASH! brought water splashing into her face again. She coughed and choked on water, and was dimly aware of someone yelling her name. She opened her eyes with a start. Percy was making his way towards him, and she was sure he'd reach her in a second, when without warning a wave slammed into him with great force and sent him flying through the air and smacking into the side of the ship. With a sinking feeling in her heart, Annabeth thought she heard bones crack as he hit the ship, and then he was sinking below the great waves.

Annabeth screamed. Though she was sure that Percy could breathe underwater, thanks to his dad, she wasn't sure if he was uninjured. She looked around for the attacker and spotted him immediately.

A man was walking leisurely on top of the water, wearing a wet gray suit that didn't exactly match his short stature and wide body and his aura of power. Somehow the guy managed to look scary and unremarkable at the same time.

"What have you done with Percy?" she yelled, swimming towards him to knock him out – or trying to. Her arms and legs were pinned to her sides, but miraculously, she was floating. Perhaps it was some power of her attacker: to let miserable mortals float to witness horrors before they drown.

The man smiled at her attempts to try to get to him and have her fists and legs connect with his face and knees, respectively. "Nothing much," he said, sneering at her. "I simply wanted the boy to taste his own medicine, so as to speak – be humiliated in front of an audience. He gestured behind him, and Annabeth couldn't help but gasp. Sea monsters, with foaming mouths and horrible yellow-and-green eyes that were staring at her threateningly. She couldn't understand how she hadn't noticed them before, and wished the Mist would hide them from her eyes. The relentless staring was unnerving her more and more by the second.

"Who are you?" she asked shakily, trying to calm herself down. _Here I am, far from my friends, unable to propel myself with my limbs, with my boyfriend underwater and possibly injured, and about two dozen pairs of eyes staring right at me hungrily, and I'm trying hard not to panic. _She supposed Tartarus had toughened her up greatly, and she realized she wasn't afraid of the sea monsters or even the porky man. She was afraid for Percy.

The man smiled, showing his teeth. They were tinged slightly blue, and when he bent his face a little, she saw that his hair was grey and wiry, though not much remained on his scalp.

She racked her brains, looking for a name. But before she could reach a definite conclusion, the man replied. "Names!" he laughed. The smell of his breath reached her and made her gag. Unlike Percy, who smelled always of sea spray, the man smelled like rotten fish. "I am greater than Poseidon," he said, grinning wickedly, "a great sea deity going by the name of Phorcys."

"Phorcys?" Annabeth asked blankly. Then she realized she was speaking to a sea god who was definitely not Percy's dad. "_What have you done to Percy_?"

"I told you already," Phorcys said, looking annoyed, "I wanted him to taste some of his own medicine. I wanted him to feel humiliated."

"Can you bring him back, then?" Annabeth asked, trying to sound calm and upbeat, when actually her insides were screaming at her to quit talking and find another way to get Percy off to safety. "I mean, if you want him to be humiliated, why not bring him up so he can – uh – be humiliated to his face?"

"No, actually," Phorcys told her. "I've heard that you've outsmarted Nyx and many others! But I can't be easily outsmarted! You see, I am wisest of all!" he bragged, smirking widely. "Many heroes tried to fool me – but they all failed!" he yelled gleefully.

"Like who?" she asked innocently.

Phorcys froze. "Uh, a hero named Perseus – " he said, his face betraying him.

"Don't lie!" Annabeth yelled. "We can't confirm that you AREN'T easily outsmarted by others because no one's ever tried to trick you before! Why don't I give it a try? I promise I won't hurt you or something!"

Phorcys snarled. Behind him, the sea monsters growled in anticipation for bloodshed and violence. "If you go against your word, daughter of Athena, I shall ensure that you shall never find your boyfriend again," he threatened, looking menacing.

"Sure," she said, her voice quavering with fear. Was he serious?

Annabeth took a deep breath and found she could move her arms and legs freely again. She struggled to think more clearly.

Phorcys was all about trying to make a good show, she realized. If she could get a message to Jason and Leo without Phorcys or his monsters noticing, and also get Percy from the depths of the waters without anyone complaining, then she figured she ought to get an award or something, because the task was too difficult. Plus, she had to entertain Phorcys and his monsters with a good show, or she'd be monster food.

"First things first," she managed out. "How can you humiliate Percy Jackson by subjecting him to injuries underwater when he can just heal on his own and attack you? How do you even know he's not speeding towards you in this instant?"

Phorcys laughed, an eerie sound that rippled the surface of the water around them. "Don't think I haven't thought of that, Annabeth Chase," he said, laughing. "I have a few special powers of my own – which include, I'm afraid, controlling your_ friend's_ unique ability to heal underwater and manipulating it to make sure that the ability makes water worsen his injuries instead."

She laughed nervously, but on the inside she was feeling sick. If what Phorcys said about Percy was true – he'd survived a lot of things, even _arai _cursing him with dozens of curses and shooting out of Mount St. Helens after being burned with lava and even bathing in the River Styx, but maybe this sea god's torture was really wearing him down. Add his weakened body from Tartarus to that, and the results weren't fun to watch.

"How clever of you!" she said, hating herself. "I wish I'd thought of that sooner!"

Phorcys frowned. "How could you have done it? You are not great like me. You have no power over water as I do."

She giggled, hating herself even more. "Oh, you have no idea how the gods have blessed me. I am the greatest of the seven! I can fly, control precious gems, turn into anything I want, play with fire, trick anyone I want, and even control water like you and Percy! Isn't that great?" she asked.

Phorcys thought about it. "Prove it," he said finally.

"You wouldn't be asking me to prove myself if you weren't afraid of me, Phorcys," she said confidently. "You asking me to prove it just goes on to show how you ARE afraid of me, of the great powers of the mighty Annabeth Chase!"

He growled. "You dare challenge my bravery? Why, I am braver than Zeus!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said dismissively, "but you haven't done anything to prove that."

"Hah!" he screamed. "You're afraid of me!"

"Why should I be afraid of you?" she asked mockingly. "The Olympians laughed at you," she said, praying they would not strike her and that it was true. "They called you weak. I guess it's your time to prove them wrong this time." She moved backwards in the water, slowly but steadily.

He looked at her, milky blue eyes wide and confused. "Why are you moving backwards?" he asked. But then he laughed again. "You must be so afraid of me, the great Phorcys!"

Then his face turned hard and his expression guarded. "I will destroy you first!" he decided. "Then the boy!"

"Oh, but you can't!" Annabeth said, hoisting a probably unconvincing look of astonishment on her face and still moving backwards. She was almost to the ship now. "You have to take us to your mother Gaea to be blood sacrifices to awaken her, and she's not gonna like it at all if she's awarded with our cold blood! I mean, who would want cold blood splashed on their face just so they can wake up? That's horrible!"

"Yes," Phorcys hissed, "but you are annoying me. Kill her!" he barked at the sea monsters behind him. They swam towards her, their mouths foamy with yellow poison and their skin green. Phorcys stood back, his expression victorious, ready to watch Annabeth get killed by his children.

But Annabeth wasn't going down without a fight. With a yell, she screamed for Jason and Leo in her best S.O.S. voice and swam quickly towards the ship. Luckily, she was so near now that she didn't really have to swim that far. She held her breath plunged down the waters, keeping her eyes open, which was hard, but finally she spotted an unconscious Percy in the waters, sinking slowly, and she grabbed him and propelled him to the surface, where she gasped for breath, but he remained unconscious. She screamed his name, and suddenly Jason was there, having used the winds to remain floating in the air and yet still able to flit from one place to another – fast. He helped Annabeth carry Percy, and then they shot out of the water.

Leo was blasting fire at the monsters, which were seething at him, but the moment they saw Annabeth once more, they hissed at her and made to grab her, but Jason was quicker. He used the force of the winds to blast them out of the water and sent them flying through the air and landing far, far away.

She looked to her left. Phorcys was right beside her, standing on top of his own personal wave that carried his weight and allowed him to reach them, and more importantly, _her_.

He tried to grab her, but she sidestepped, and he stumbled. "You lied!" he screamed. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me!"

He was getting up slowly, his expression of fury.

"Yeah, Phorcys," she said, "but hasn't your mother ever taught you how to recognize a trick?"

She punched him in the face.

Phorcys attempted to retaliate, but Leo shot flames at him and burned his blue tie. He looked at her with blazing eyes.

"Until the next time, Annabeth Chase," he called back to her murderously before vanishing in a spray of saltwater.

They hauled Percy off to sick bay. The others were pretty surprised when they saw Annabeth, Jason, and Leo, all dripping wet, but they didn't offer even a single comment, especially when they saw Percy.

He wasn't wet, which was expected from a son of Poseidon, but he was startlingly pale and unresponsive. The crew couldn't figure out why, until they'd seen the dent on his head, right over the horse-shaped one that reminded Annabeth of Blackjack. It wasn't oozing blood, but it looked bad. Hazel studied Percy's slack face carefully, her face betraying no emotion. Finally Annabeth couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked agitatedly. All of them looked at her.

Frank spoke up. "What hit him?" he asked, eerily echoing Annabeth.

"Phorcys sent a wave to keep him away from me, and he hit the side of the ship hard and sank. I couldn't do anything. Then he didn't resurface." She fought to keep her voice in control.

"Phorcys?" Leo asked, looking mystified, but Hazel held up a hand.

"Let's talk later," she said, sounding afraid and nervous. "Why don't you guys scan the perimeter for any other possible monster out there? Piper and Annabeth can remain here with me."

The others didn't argue. They went away, though all three of them shot nervous glances at Annabeth and worried ones at Percy.

Annabeth grabbed Percy's wrist and felt for his pulse. She found what she expected: a weak, unsteady one. She looked at Piper and Hazel.

Hazel stood up, walking towards the chest where they kept their medicines. She thrust the chest open and cursed.

"What's wrong?" Piper cried.

Hazel looked at them with wide and scared eyes. "There's no more ambrosia or nectar left," she said, looking terrified. "What'll we use to heal him?"

"What?" Annabeth stormed to her and caught her breath. Hazel was right. The ambrosia and nectar were gone.

Piper scrambled up. "Water!" she said, looking scared but confident at the same time. "Percy's the son of Poseidon, right? So water would heal him of his injuries!"

"No!" Annabeth yelled suddenly. "Don't! It'll kill him!"

Both Hazel and Piper looked at her questioningly. "Why would it –" Piper began, looking confused.

"Because Phorcys put a curse on him so that instead of healing in water as he'd normally do, the water would worsen his injuries and eventually kill him!" she yelled. She longed to yell more, to just take up Piper's suggestion, but she knew it wasn't the right solution to the problem. As a daughter of Athena and Percy's girlfriend, she couldn't just give up, though. She _had_ to save Percy Jackson.

Annabeth struggled hard to think. She concentrated so hard Piper muttered, "Relax, Annabeth. Your face is _really _red." Piper's comment made her realize she couldn't do this alone. Finally she turned to Athena for guidance.

_Mother, _she prayed desperately, _please give me a solution to this problem. Please save Percy._

"Annabeth," Hazel said gently. "I can try to heal him using magic or something."

Annabeth looked at her questioningly. "Then do it," she managed.

She watched as Hazel raised her arms and closed her eyes, her lips moving in a silent prayer to the goddess of magic, Hecate. Her forehead creased in concentration. Nothing happened.

Annabeth couldn't stand it anymore. She went out, heading towards the _Athena Parthenos_ statue. Reaching there, she closed her eyes, hoping to get some ideas or maybe for Athena to appear and zap Percy back to health. But when she opened her eyes again, everything was still the same.

"Annabeth!" Piper screamed from in the inside. "Come in quickly!"

Annabeth obeyed.

She heard Percy before she saw him.

He was breathing harshly, the sounds echoing in the silent room; his face paler than ever. Annabeth was strongly reminded of the Death Mist disguise on Percy, courtesy of Akhlys. She didn't want to remember the goddess's face, but suddenly Akhlys's rang in her head. _Do you not see the power of misery? _her miserable voice taunted Annabeth. _Misery is everywhere. Pain is everywhere. I am everywhere._

Where could she find a little ambrosia or nectar? Annabeth racked her brains for a second time, and it was like a light bulb had lit up inside her head. Then she ran out from the room.


End file.
